§§¨¨¨§¨§§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§§§¨
¨§¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§¨¨§§
§§¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          §¨§§§§¨§¨§
¨§§§¨§§¨§§                                          §§¨¨¨§§§§¨
§¨¨§§¨§§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨§§¨               WINDS ESKER                §§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§§¨§¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨§§¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§§                                          §¨§§§§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS §§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨§§§¨§¨¨§§ I  COULDN'T GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨§
§¨¨§§§¨§¨¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS,  OR  POINTED  OUT §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
§¨§¨¨§§§¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD  NOT  THINK OF IT  WHEN ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
§§§¨§¨¨§¨§ ALONE. I  WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE §§§¨§§§¨¨§
¨¨§§§¨§§§¨ FORK, WHERE A  RIGHT TURN  WOULD  SURELY ¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§¨¨§¨ TAKE ME  THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨§¨§¨§§§§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§§§               KEPT ME AWAY.              §§§§§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§ WHEN I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER  SOME ¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨¨§¨§§§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ ASSUME,  THE   PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN ¨§§§¨¨§§§§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ ESKER,  LIKE  A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§§¨§¨§ THE   LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND §¨§§§§¨¨¨§
§§§§¨§§§§§ ADORNED IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §§¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§§§§¨¨§§¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨§§§§¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨ NOTICE  THE  VIEW  TO EITHER SIDE. THERE §¨¨¨§§§§¨§
§¨¨§§§§§§§ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I §¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM.  FIRST  OFF, THEY §¨§§¨¨§¨§§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ WERE MUCH TOO  CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD §§¨§¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ STRETCH  FOR  A HUNDRED  METERS  MORE ON ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD §¨¨¨§¨§§§§
§¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨ ALMOST  REACH  OUT  AND TOUCH THEM.  AND §¨¨§§§¨¨¨§
§§§¨¨§§§§§ THEN, WHEN I  REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           §§§¨§§¨§§§
¨§§§§¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§§§ THEY  WERE OF  THE  RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨§       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      §§§¨§§§§¨¨
§¨§¨§§§¨§¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF  LUNGS CARVED ¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨§
§§§§¨¨§§§§ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH  NO LESS THAN ¨§¨§¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   §§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨§§§§¨¨§¨      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ¨¨¨§§§¨§¨§
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ¨¨§¨¨§§§§§
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING  MANY MILES ¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨§¨§¨¨§§§§                   AWAY.                  §¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§§¨§¨¨¨§                                          §§¨¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ I  EXAMINED   THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§§ ABOVE.  WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW  OPPOSITE, §§§¨§§§§¨§
¨§§¨§§§¨¨¨ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨¨§§¨¨¨§§§
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨§                REMEMBER.                 ¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§§¨§¨§§¨§§                                          §§§§¨§§¨§¨
¨§§§§¨§§¨¨ CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON  THE VERY TIP  OF ¨¨¨§§¨§§§§
§¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨ THE ESKER,  I FOUND THE  RUINS  OF  SOME ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§§§¨¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨§§§¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§§§¨¨§¨§  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH §¨¨§§§¨§§§
§§¨¨§¨§§§¨ THE  MOSS,  AND  STRANGE SLABS  INSERTED §¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨ INTO THE  SLOPE LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST  THE §§§¨§¨§¨¨§
§§§¨¨§¨§§¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨¨§§§§§¨§§
¨¨§¨§§§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§§¨¨§§§§ SITTING THERE, I  COULD SEE  ACROSS  THE §§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH  TO WHERE I ¨§¨¨§§§§¨¨
§¨§§§§¨¨§¨ SAT:  FROM THE STAIRWELL  OF  MY  HOUSE, §§¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨§¨§§§ THROUGH THE OLD  WOODS BEHIND  THE  TILE ¨§§§¨¨§§§¨
¨§¨¨§§§¨¨¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      §¨¨§¨§¨¨§§
§§¨§¨¨§¨¨§ TWENTY THREE AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, §¨§§§§¨§¨§
¨§§§¨§§¨§§ THROUGH  THE  FANCY   VILLAS,  OVER  THE §§¨¨¨§§§§¨
§¨¨§§¨§§¨§ FIELDS, AND THEN  THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨§§¨                  FORK.                   §§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§§¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§§ AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE RIDGE. §¨§§§§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. §§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨§§§¨§¨¨§§ HIDDEN  IN  A GROVE, THERE  WERE  STAIRS ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨§
§¨¨§§§¨§¨¨ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT  ON, §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
§¨§¨¨§§§¨¨ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT LEAD YOU  UP ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
§§§¨§¨¨§¨§ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD §§§¨§§§¨¨§
¨¨§§§¨§§§¨ I INSTED OPTED  TO WALK  THE PATH AT ITS ¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§¨¨§¨ FOOT, I'M  SURE  MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ¨§¨§¨§§§§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§§§          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          §§§§§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§ ---------------------------------------- ¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE   PEOPLE  IN ¨§§§¨¨§§§§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD  THEY EVEN SEE §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§§¨§¨§ ME? IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO §¨§§§§¨¨¨§
§§§§¨§§§§§         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §§¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§§§§¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§§§§¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§§§§¨§
§¨¨§§§§§§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨